Theory
Week 1 A set of interrelated constructs (concepts),
Lecture 1.1 – Organization and powerdefinitions,
theorizing and propositions that present a
systematic view of phenomena by specifying
relations among variables, whit the purpose of
explaining and predicting the phenomena –
Kerlinger 1986
Social identity A persons’s sense of who they are based on their
group membership. Tajfel (1979() proposed that
the groups (eg. social class, family, sports team,
etc.) which people belonged to were an
important source of pride and self esteem
Grounded theory Complex iterative process.
the research begins with the raising of generative
questions which help to guide the research but
are not intended to be eigher static or confining.
As the researcher begins to gather data, core
theoretical concept(s) are identified. Tentative
linkages are developed between the theoretical
concepts and data – Glaser and Strauss
Organizations (definition used in “Most words ending in -tion are ambiguous
this course) between process and product – between the way
one gets there, and the result. Our word,
organization, shares this ambivalence, itself
referring to the process of organizing or, to the
result of organizing.
Explanatory theorizing (Cornelissen Theorizing that aims to explain a topic
et al.) Build on prior theoretical work
Scientific articles with a standard structure
Interpretive theorizing (Cornelissen Theorizing that looks for alternative ways of
et al.) studying a topic
Builds on reflexivity, theoretical abstraction,
speculation, thought experiments
Less formalized/codified styles of reasoning
Emancipatory theorizing Theorizing that confronts researchers with
(Cornelissen et al.) practices of knowledge and production
Builds on values of equitable, diverse,
decolonized and pluriform scholarship
Published in journals open to ‘critical work’
Organizing power and resistance Power and resistance occur naturally in
Mumby and Plontikof, 2019 capitalism.
Capitalism tries to produce profit. Profit falls
when the market saturates. Organizations look
into ways to intensify labor.
That causes resistance
Power as coercion Direct forms of power to keep workers at their
tasks: punch clocks, scientific management,
surveillance resistance through
, sabotage/strikes
Power as consent Indirect forms of power through strong cultures,
targeting people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions
resistance at the level of meaning (irony,
cynicism, jokes (als mensen zich prettig voelen in
de cultuur willen ze komen en werken en hun
best doen, maar ook dat levert weerstand op)
Power as governmentality Neoliberalism transforms relationship between
self and organizations: entrepreneurial individuals
seek self actualization through work power
dynamics productive in all areas of life, hence
difficult to resist (we vertrouwen er niet meer op
dat een organisatie de rest van ons leven voor
ons gaat zorgen, we zien een organisatie als een
plek die ons fullfillment moet geven in plaats van
voor ons te zorgen, we zijn allemaal een soort
entrepreneurs)
Lecture 1.2 – Bureaucracy, efficiency and forms of control
Definition of power (Weber) Capacity of A to influence the behavior of B so
that B does things he/she would otherwise not do
(Social) control as power Social control refers to societal, organizational
(and political) mechanisms or processes that
regulate individual and group behavior to gain
conformity and compliance to the rules of a given
society, state, or social group – and in our case:
an organization
Forms of control: hard coercion Formal control: bureaucracy, regulation,
sanctions
Forms of control: soft coercion Informal control: socialization, norms, values
Modern rational-legal systems Bureaucracy is the exercise of control based on
Bureaucracy (Weber) knowledge. It is about rational legal hierarchical
power: not the leader is important, but the
bureau. A bureaucratic official is personally free
and appointed to the position based on conduct.
The official exercises the authority delegated to
them in accordance with impersonal rules.
Social justice Gebaseerd op bepaalde vaststaande afspraken
om gelijkheid te waarborgen en iedereen
hetzelfde te behandelen
Rationalization The replacement of traditions, values, and
emotions as motivators for behaviour in society
with concepts based on rationality and reason.
Authority-based organizations: Based on social precedents, rituals, rights
traditional authority External arbitrariness, internal loyalty
Examples: mafia, tribes, church
Authority-based organizations: Based on charismatic elements, power of the
,Charismatic authority person
Trait theory, domination, narcissism
Examples: cults, steve jobs
Authority-based organizations: Based on pre-defined rules, people are in a role
Rational-legal authority they are qualified for and chosen for
Formal rationality, bureaucracy
Superior to the other two
Legacy of Max Weber on Rationality is central, not efficiency
organizational theory Interested in social theory and the ideal type
Intended and unintended consequences of
organizational forms
Monteiro et al. 2022 … in it’s wider context
Studying bureaucracy … in action
… it’s interdependencies and configurations
Frederick Taylor’s view on Strive to efficiency
organizations
Taylorism / scientific management It is a theoretical approach to organizations that
emphasizes organizational design, worker training
for efficiency, chains of command and division of
labor.
The perspective rests on the assumption that
work, and organizations can be rationally or
scientifically designed and developed
Time and motion studies Determine the most efficient way to do the job to
implement doing it that way across everybody
Hawthorne studies Designed to find ways to increase worker
productivity
Change of environment’s effect on efficiency
(more/less light in the room) lights had no
effect, but if we think somebody is watching us,
that we matter, we get attention, we work more
efficiently. That was the ultimate result of the
studies
Power with vs. power over Power with is like convincing, power over is like
persuasion
Theory X and Y X = people hate work, are lazy, must be coerced
to perform (power over)
Y = people like work, are creative, seek
responsibility and can exercise self-direction
(power with)
Critical theory A criticism, a critique of society, organizations,
and social constructions. Critical theory studies
power and power abuse in organizations and
society
Critical theorists seek understanding of
organizational life nested in the broader context
of society through understanding of power and
, political relationships
Forms of control Hard control = scientific management, power
over, theory X, Taylorism
Soft control = Hawthorne studies, power with,
theory Y
Surveillance = new form of control, in a later
week
Normative control Mechanism: internalization of norms
Using the cultural dimension of organizations
Form of control that makes people work very
hard, messing around with the identity of people,
make people believe that they want to do it.
Organizational culture - Edgar Layers or levels
Schein Outer layer: behavior and artefacts – visible
manifestations of organizational culture
Middle layer: espoused values – formalized
statements of organizational culture
Inner layer: basic assumptions – implicit
assumptions of organizational culture
Organizational culture – JoAnne Perspectives on organizational culture
Martin Integration: members of organization share
values and purpose (dominant perspective)
Differentiation: frequent conflicts among groups
with limited consensus (sub-culture perspective)
Fragmentation: ambiguity in organizations with
consensus coexisting with conflict
Organizational culture – Gideon Is culture manageable? internalization of
Kunda organizational culture. Speeches, bootcamps…
Colonization of lifeworld (Habermas) – life = work
and work = life identity
Normative control
Culture as a paradox A culture’s claim to uniqueness is often expressed
through cultural manifestations that are not in
fact unique
Week 2
Lecture 2.1 – Agency and structure: institutions, interactions and intentions
Lesson 1: duality Like two sides of a coin, social realities are both
Institutional realities and individual and institutional, both personal
individual lifeworlds lifeworld and supra-personal structure
Structure happens within individual agencies
Agency (lesson 1) Our engagement with the social world (individual)
Structure (lesson 1) Institutions, customs, laws, ideologies, traditions,
organizational settings, power hierarchies, etc.
which establish frames or reference for social
action (not individual)